Packaging apparatus



July 22, 1969 E. F. DOUCETTE PACKAGING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 19, 1967 July 22, 1969 E. F. DOUCETTE PACKAGING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed my 19, 1967 July 22,1969 E. F. DOUCETTE PACKAGING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5,"

Filed July 19, 1967 FIGS}.

US. Cl. 53112 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a form-fill-seal packaging machine for producing tetrahedron-shaped packages, an anger rotatable in a mandrel delivers a fluent solid product (e.g., a powder) from the lower end of the mandrel into tubing formed from a web of packaging material around the mandrel and fed downwardly off the lower end of the mandrel. Below the lower end of the mandrel are sealers for making the package end Seals. The auger has a longitudinal passage therethrough from its upper to its lower end. A gas, such as nitrogen, is supplied to the upper end of the passage in the auger via a rotary connection, and delivered through the passage to the tubing at the lower end of the mandrel for gas flushing the packages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is in the field of form-fill-seal packaging machines, and more particularly in the field of machines of this class in which a web of packaging material is formed into tubing around a vertical hollow mandrel, the tubing is fed downward oif the lower end of the mandrel, transverse seals are formed across the tubing below the lower end of the mandrel at package length intervals to form packages, and the product with which the packages are to be filled is introduced through the mandrel. Reference may be made to the coassigned U.S. Patents 3,221,- 469, issued Dec. 7, 1965, 3,026,658, issued Mar. 27, 1962, and 3,082,586, issued Mar. 26, 1963, for a showing of machines in this class. A problem which has existed in this field is that of filling the packages with fluent solid materials, e.g., powders, and gas-flushing the tubing, e.g., with nitrogen, so that the filling of the packages takes place in an atmosphere of nitrogen rather than air, the packages thereby containing nitrogen instead of air to prevent product deterioration such as otherwise might be caused by the presence of air in the packages. Reference may be made, for example, to US. Patent 3,063,845, issued Nov. 13, 1962, showing gas-flushing, but in connection with liquid filling, not powder filling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision, in form-fill-seal packaging apparatus of the class above described, of means for delivering fluent solid material, e.g., a powder, through the mandrel into each package as it is formed, with accompanying gasflushing of the package, e.g., with nitrogen; the provision of such means adapted intermittently to deliver a measured quantity of fluent solid material into each package as it is formed and to maintain an atmosphere of gas such as nitrogen in the package; and the provision of such means which is advantageously simple in construction and reliable in operation.

Briefly, the invention involves the provision in the mandrel of the packaging apparatus of an auger which is rotatable in the mandrel for augering out the fluent solid material through the lower end of the mandrel. The auger has a longitudinal passage therethrough, and means is provided for supplying gas for gas-flushing to this passage for exit from the lower end of the auger into ited Stats Patent O the tubing below the lower end of the mandrel. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective illustrating form ing, filling and sealing tetrahedron-shaped packages in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section and partly broken away, showing the product delivery and gas-flushing means of this invention; and

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation of the left side of FIG. 2.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention is herein illustrated as used in apparatus such as shown in the above-noted US. Patent 3,221,469 for forming, filling and sealing tetrahedron-shaped packages. Referring to FIG. 1, there is indicated at 1 a vertical hollow mandrel corresponding to the mandrel 1 shown in this patent. In general, a web of flexible packaging material W, which is heat-scalable on one side as indicated at S, is drawn from a web roll and formed into tubing T around the mandrel 1, with its heat-scalable side S on the inside, and with its side margins brought together in inside-face-to-inside-face relation and projecting outward. The flexible packaging material may comprise, for example, laminated layers of paper and metal foil with a coating of thermoplastic material, such as polyethylene, on the paper layer.

The tubing T is intermittently fed downward oil the lower end of the mandrel in package length increments by grasping the outwardly projecting side margins and pulling downward thereon. The grasp on the side margins is taken by a pair of vertically positioned heat-sealing bars 3A and 3B, which apply heat as well as pressure to the side margins as the tubing is fed downward to cause the side margins to become heat-sealed together thereby to form a longitudinal seam L for the tubing. Bars 3A and 3B are brought together to clamp the side margins, then move downward to feed the tubing downwardly, then open, and return upward to clamp the side margins and initiate downward feed of the tubing through another package length increment. As the side sealers 3A and 3B move downward, the longitudinal seam L is tolded over on the tubing.

There is a dwell interval between successive downstrokes of the tubing during which a transverse packageend-forming seal E is made across the tubing below the lower end of the mandrel, successive package-end-forming seals being in vertical planes substantially at right angles to one another thereby establishing the tetrahedron shape for the packages, one of which is shown about to separate from the tubing and designated P. The seals are made by a first pair of heat-sealing heads 5A and 5B opearting in a horizontal plane below the lower end of the mandrel, and by a second pair of heat-sealing heads 5C and 5D operating in the same horizontal plane as end sealers 5A and 5B, but at right angles to end sealers 5A and 5B.

During production of packages P, the two pairs of end sealers are alternately actuated during successive dwells of the tubing to form the end seals and, when the end sealers are open, a package length increment of tubing T is fed downward by the side sealers 3A and 3B for filling of the package. As each package-end-forming seal is formed, the tubing T is cut on a line located between the upper and lower confines of the seal to segment each package P from the tubing as the formation of the package is completed.

Reference may be made to the above-mentioned US. Patent 3,221,469 for a full disclosure of the apparatus for carrying out the above-described operations.

In accordance with this invention, means is provided for filling the packages P with a fluent solid product, such as a powder, and gas-flushing the packages as they are filled, comprising an auger 7 rotatable in the mandrel having a longitudinal passage 9 therethrough for supplying gas, such as nitrogen, into the tubing T below the lower end of the mandrel. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the mandrel is shown as having its upper end fitted in an opening 11 in the lower end of a chambered head 13 mounted as indicated at 15 on part 17 of the frame of the formfill-seal apparatus. The mandrel, which is constituted by a cylindric tube, extends down from the head 13, its upper end being open to the chamber 19 in the head. This chamber is enlarged with respect to the internal diameter of the mandrel.

The auger 7 comprises an elongate cylindric central tube 21 of considerably greater length than the mandrel having a helical flight 23 thereon extending from one end of the tube constituting its lower end throughout part of the length of the tube, ending at a distance from the lower end of the tube somewhat greater than the length of the mandrel. The bore of tube 21 constitutes passage 9 through the auger, extending from its upper to its lower end, for gas communication therethrough to tubing T below the lower end of the mandrel. Flight 23 has a relatively close fit in the mandrel. The auger extends upward out of the mandrel through the chamber 19 in head 13, and out of the upper end of the head through an opening 25 in the latter, the upper portion of the central tube 21 of the auger being journalled for rotation in bearings 27 in opening 25 and supported therein against axial thrust, with the lower end of the auger at the lower end of the mandrel.

Head 13 has an inclined inlet 29 for delivery of the fluent solid product thereto to fill chamber 19 in the head from a hopper (not shown) via a delivery conduit 31. The arrangement is such that, after priming'of the mandrel with the product, rotation of the auger results in dispensing of the product from the lower end of the mandrel. Means is provided for intermittently rotating the auger to dispense a measured quantity of the product. As shown, this comprises a belt and pulley drive including a pulley 33 keyed on the auger tube 21 above the head 13 and a belt 35 trained around the pulley and adapted intermittently to be driven by any suitable intermittent drive unit. The inlet 29 is offset from the axis of the mandrel so as not to interfere with the passage of web W to the mandrel.

Above the pulley 33, the auger tube 21 extends through a bearing 37 mounted on a part 39 of the frame of the apparatus, and its upper end is rotatable in a socket 41 at the lower end of a fixed gas inlet fitting 43 carried by a bracket 45 mounted on frame part 39. A gas-tight seal for the upper end of the auger tube is indicated at 47. This arrangement provides for delivery of gas (e.g., nitrogen) under pressure to the auger tube from a suitable source (e.g., a bottle of compressed gas). Operation is as follows:

FIG. 1 shows the end sealers 5A and 5B closed on the tubing T below the lower end of the mandrel 1, and a completed package P below these sealers having an end seal E at its lower end. This package will also have a seal at its upper end as formed by the closed sealers 5A and 5B. Closure of end sealers 5A and 5B will also have effected the forming of the lower end seal for the next package, and the segmenting of the completed package from the tubing, as will be apparent from US. Patent 3,221,469. End sealers 5A and 5B open, and side sealers 3A and 3B move downward to feed a package length of tubing T downward off the lower end of the mandrel preparatory to forming the next successive package. As

the tubing T is fed downward, auger 7 is rotated through a predetermined number of degrees of rotation to auger out of the mandrel the requisite metered quantity of product (which is less than the package volume). The metered quantity of product drops into the portion of the tubing below the lower end of the mandrel, which has been scaled by end sealers 5A and 5B. Gas (e.g., nitrogen) is supplied through the passage 9 in the auger tube 21 into the portion of the tubing below the lower end of the mandrel, to insure that air is flushed out of this portion of the tubing and replaced by the gas. Then, during the ensuing dwell of the tubing (during which the side sealers 3A and 3B open and return upward), end sealers 5C and 5D close (above the level of the product in the lower end portion of the tubing) to complete the next package. End sealers 5C and 5D then open, and the operation is repeated with end sealers 5A and 5B closing on the tubing and so on.

From the above, it will appear that the filling of each package P as it is formed with the fluent solid product metered out by the auger 7 occurs in an atmosphere of nitrogen or other suitable gas other than air, and that, as a result, each package is sealed with an atmosphere of nitrogen therein rather than air. Dispensing of the product into the package via the auger in the mandrel is direct and simple, and advantageously utilizes the mandrel itself as a sleeve for the auger. The utilization of an auger formed as illustrated from a central tube 21 and a helical flight 23 on the tube provides for direct and simple supply of gas for gas-flushing to the portion of the tubing T below the lower end of the mandrel via the bore 9 of the tube.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In form-fill-seal packaging apparatus having a downwardly extending mandrel around which a web of packaging material is formed into tubing and having means for forming a longitudinal seam for the tubing, feeding the tubing downward off the lower end of the mandrel, and forming transverse seals across the tubing below the lower end of the mandrel to form packages: means for filling the packages as they are formed with a fluent solid product and gas-flushing the packages comprising an auger extending longitudinally of and rotatable in the mandrel, means for rotating the auger to feed the product out of the lower end of the mandrel, said auger having a passage for gas communication therethrough to the tubing below the lower end of the mandrel, and means for supplying gas to said passage for delivery therethrough into the tubing below the lower end of the mandrel.

2. In apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said auger extending to the lower end of the mandrel.

3. In apparatus as set forth in claim 2, a head for the mandrel having a product-receiving chamber therein, said mandrel extending down from said head and being open at its upper end to said chamber, said auger extending upward out of said mandrel through said chamber and out through the upper end of said head, said passage being a central longitudinal passage through the auger from its upper end to its lower end, and said means for supplying gas to said chamber including a fixed fitting in which the upper end of the auger is rotatable.

4. In apparatus as set forth in claim 3, said auger comprising a central tube having a helical flight thereon extending from the lower end of the auger to a point within said chamber, the bore of said tube constituting said passage.

5 6 5. In apparatus as set forth in claim 4, said head hav- References Cited ing an inlet to said chamber adapted for connection there- UNITED STATES PATENTS to of a source of supply of the product.

2,160,367 5/1939 Maxfield 5322 6. In apparatus as set forth 1n clalm 5, sa1d 1nlet belng 2,432,373 12/1947 Bleam at al- S3 112 X offset from the axis of the mandrel so as not to interfere 5 With the passage Of i116 Web t0 thfi mandrel. TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE i y Examiner 

